Bob Dylan wins Nobel Prize in Literature

Singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature, organizers announced early Thursday marking the first time the prestigious award has gone to someone known primarily as a musician.

Dylan, who rarely gives interviews, hadno immediate comment, according to a representative.

Currently on tour, he was scheduled to play in Las Vegas Thursday night.

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Dylan had been mentioned in the Nobel speculation for years, butfew expected the academy to extend the award toa pop songwriter and musician.

Sara Danius, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, likened Dylan's work and his literary merits to those of the earliest Western poets.

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"If you look back,far back you discover Homer and Sappho," Daniussaid. "And they wrote poetic texts that were meant to be listened to,they wereto meant to be performed, often with instruments."

"But we still read Homer and Sappho and enjoy it," she said."It's the same way with Bob Dylan."

The academy's last unorthodox pick for literature laureate came in 1997, when Italian playwrightDarioFo was named. Fo, who died Thursday at the age of 90, had been considered controversial because some felt hisplays need to be performed to be fully appreciated.

Still, as Dylanarguably the most iconic poet-musician of his generationwas revealed as this year's laureateat the academy's headquarters in Stockholm's Old Town on Thursday, reporters and others gathered at the event reportedlyreacted with gasps, laughter and a loud cheer.

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On social media, however, the idea of Dylan as a Nobel-winner was met with mixed reviews.

Some praised the decision as more inclusive.

Meanwhile,many others lambasted the academy's choice, including self-described Dylan fans. Some criticscalledit a slight to writers.

Constant reinvention

Born Robert Zimmerman in Duluth, Minn. in 1941, Dylan built his reputation withfolk music by his 20s, but ever-evolving and at timesto the dismayof existingfans he would alsodelve into rock,country, gospel, blues, pop, and rhythm and blues.

Songs from his catalog, includingBlowin' in the Windand The Times They AreA-Changin', becameanthems for the U.S. anti-war and civil rights movements of the1960s, and hisimpact on popular culture is immense.

He remains cited as an influence by major songwriters and musicians to this day. Hecontinues to perform, including delivering a setlist packed with fan favourites and newer materialduring last weekend'sDesert Trip music festival in Indio, Calif.

Dylan previously won a Pulitzer Prize for his contributions to American culture, a Grammy lifetime achievement award anda 2001Oscarfor the song Things Have Changed(from the movie Wonder Boys).

Nobel announcement for 2016 literature prize

8 years ago

Duration 0:39

Initial Swedish announcement and reaction followed by the English version

Literature was the last of this year's Nobel prizes to be awarded.

Three researchersshared the prize for chemistryfor their work on molecular machines, while themedicine prizewent to a Japanese biologistwho discovered the process by which a cell breaks down and recycles content. The physics prize wasshared by three British-born scientistsfor theoretical discoveries that shed light on strange states of matter.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos won the Nobel Peace Prizefor his efforts to end that country's lengthy civil war.Two U.S.-based professors won the Nobel prize in economics on Monday for studying how to best design contracts.

The prize is named after dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel and has been awarded since 1901 for achievements in science, literature and peace in accordance with his will.

Each prize is worth the equivalent of about $1.2 million Cdn (eight million kronor).